Cup holder for lipstick containers



y 9, 1957 s. M. CROCE 2,798,599

CUP HOLDER FOR LIPSTICK CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 18, 1955 w b J -m Anne/YE) United States Patent 2,798,599 Patented July 9, P957 fire CUP HOLDER FOR LIPSTICK coia'rArNnirs Santy M. Croce, Hauppange, N. Y., assignor to Coty, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 18, 1955, Serial No. 52%,235 2 Claims. (Cl. 2%56) This invention relates to lipsticks and more particularly to the cup or carrier thereof. This element is herein described and illustrated in connection with a conventional rotary or swivel type of lipstick but the invention is applicable to other types such as where the cup is manually slid axially by an externally accessible operating button.

In the use of conventional cups as used in lipsticks, several operating defects have been known to the industry for many years but thus far there have been no means of remedying these defects. For example, it has been well known that when a complete lipstick case is transported under freezing conditions, the lipstick substance tends to contract and often becomes dislodged from its cup or carrier. Other defects include a tendency of the lipstick to fracture when the consumer tries to apply it to her lips, such fracturing often being traceable to a weakening of the lipstick as it is inserted in the cup. Such weakening is very often caused by a cup which is of somewhat less diameter than the lipstick so that the insertion of the stick in the cup reduces the diameter of the lipsticks significantly and thereby weakens it. Another defect in prior practice has been the frequency with which lipsticks drop out of the cup or carrier because of initial faulty insertion of the lipstick into the cup. For example, one prior practice was to insert the lipstick into the cup giving it a quarter turn to lock it in place, the cup having been specifically formed for this purpose. However, with speed of production, many operators omitted the final turning motion, or performed it inadequately so that the lipstick was not properly retained in the cup.

With the foregoing in mind, I have devised a cupfor a lipstick which overcomes all the above disadvantages and defects.

The invention will be further understood from the following description and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a lipstick case, shown in broken lines, and enclosing the improved form of holding cup, shown in full lines;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the holding cup;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the cup;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a developed view of the cup wall.

As is well understood in the art, the lipstick case illustrated in broken lines is a conventional form of rotary type of lipstick. It comprises a longitudinally slotted tube which is rotatably actuated by means of a base 11. A sleeve 12 having a helical cam 'slot surrounds the tube 10. Both the tube 10 and sleeve 12 are maintained in an outer cylindrical tube 13. All the foregoing is conventional and is shown as a typical instance where the lipstick cup of this invention is employed.

Slidably maintained in the tube 10 is the cylmdrlcal cup or carrier 15 which is propelled vertically upwardly in tube 10 so as to expose the lipstick for use, or retracted When not in use. It is the formation of cup 15 which is the subject of this invention.

Cup 15 is formed with an integral lug 16 as is conventional, said lug projecting into both the longitudinal slot of tube 10 and the cam slot of the sleeve 12. The floor 17 of the cup is further formed with a central opening 18 for the conventional purpose of exhausting air from the cup as the lipstick is inserted therein.

The means for remedying all the defects above set forth consists simply of a pair of helical thread sections 19 and 20 stamped into the cylindrical wall of the cup and diametrically opposite each other so that they project inwardly and thus form ribs on the inner walls of the cup. Two such helical thread sections or ribs are disclosed, the rib 19 being disposed near the mouth 21 of the cup while the rib 20 is disposed near the floor 17. Each rib is inclined from a horizontal position at an angle of about 45 and both extend in the same direction as noted in Figure 5, the top end of rib 20 being at about the same level as the bottom end of rib 19 so as to provide continuity of longitudinal grip although the lateral grips on the lipstick mass is spaced. It will be observed in Figure 3 that each rib extends horizontally a distance less than /2 of the circumference of the cup inner wall so that a relatively small peripheral portion of the lipstick substance is compressed or otherwise affected by the ribs. This avoids compressing the lipstick one complete turn or more which would unduly weaken it.

When the lipstick L is inserted into the cup, the lipstick is cammed by the internal ribs so as to turn itself during the inserting operation thereby anchoring itself in the cup. There is substantially no reduction of diameter of the lipstick since the respective thread sections are diametrically opposite each other in the cup and most of the lipstick periphery is unaffected by the presence of the thread sections. As a result, the lipstick mass is not materially distorted or compressed except by the slight and laterally spaced thread sections.

The cup has been illustrated in connection with a rotary type of lipstick case but it may be applied to many other conventional types.

There has been shown what is now considered a preferred embodiment of the invention but it is obvious that numerous changes and omissions may be made without departing from its spirit.

What is claimed is:

l. A lipstick holding cup for use in a lipstick where the cup is propelled, said cup comprising a cylindrical wall, a mouth and a floor, and at least two ribs formed on the inner wall of the cup, each of said ribs being diametrically opposite each other and inclined from a horizontal position, said ribs extending in said inclined horizontal position around said inner wall a distance less than one-half of the wall circumference, one of said ribs extending downwardly from the mouth of the cup to the center of the cup wall and the other rib extending from the center to the floor, the ribs both being inclined downwardly in the same direction.

2. A lipstick holding cup according to claim 1 and wherein the angle of inclination of said ribs is 45.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 182,632 Bennett Sept. 26, 1876 1,865,639 Most July 5, 1932 2,340,556 Picinich Feb. 1, 1944 2,502,651 Isele Apr. 4, 1950 

